Viking Bragi Review

4.0 / 5.0
157 reviews
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Editor Rating
4.0
Very Good
Overall
Jamey Bergman
Contributor

German-built Viking Bragi and its sister "Longships" represent a take on river hospitality, in which a sleek, Scandinavian ambience is the antithesis of river's traditionally fusty vessels.

What first strikes you as you step onboard? Sunlight. Streaming in through the glass-enclosed, two-story atrium is enough light to allow real flowers to grow. With backlit marble panels rising above a terrazzo floor and wood-and-glass staircase, and pale, earth-toned decor, the space has energy and natural appeal. If the ambience reminds some of Seabourn's Odyssey class, that's not a coincidence -- the vessels share the same lead designer, Norwegian firm Yran & Storbraaten.

But beyond the airy vibe of its public spaces, Viking Bragi floats a whole raft of features new to river cruising in Europe.

Fittingly for a line named after Scandinavian conquerors, there is a sense of minimalism on Bragi. You can perhaps best see the efficiency and maximization of available area onboard in the surprising new signature spaces that have been conjured: the Aquavit Terrace, the two largest true suites on a riverboat in Europe (each with separate living room and bedroom), not to mention seven slightly smaller true suites with separate living and sleeping rooms, and an increased number of cabins with full and French balconies.

Don't be fooled, though; creating those spaces was more hard work than magic. The designers' creation of such new spaces required a lot of rethinking about the basic structure of river ships. To fit under the bridges and through the locks of Europe's inland waterways, riverboats have to meet specific size requirements. If length or depth is extended past those limits, the ship won't sail.

As a workaround, designers blunted the traditional pointy-nosed bow of Viking's ships to provide more space. The result was Aquavit Terrace. A lovely open-air cafe on the ship's bow, the venue provides something of a river rarity: an alternative casual eatery with indoor/outdoor seating.

It also positioned interior corridors off-center to accommodate cabins -- full balconies on one side and narrower cabins, some elevated to suites with separate sleeping and living areas, placed sideways on the other side.

Less visible, but no less cutting-edge, are the ship's "green" advances, including hybrid diesel-electric engines which burn less fuel and produce 20 percent fewer emissions, making longships cleaner and quieter than their competitors. There are even solar panels on the sun deck that help to fuel the engines. And the ship's chef maintains an organic garden on Bragi's upper deck during growing season.

The ride onboard is slow and smooth as you pass by scenery that includes the Rhine Gorge -- or Upper Middle Rhine Valley -- a UNESCO World Heritage site littered with history-rich vistas of castles and medieval towns.

About

Passengers: 190
Crew: 50
Passenger to Crew: 3.8:1
Launched: 2013
Shore Excursions: 66

Sails To

Fellow Passengers

The general age for river cruise passengers is 60 and older, but Bragi and other Longships, with their contemporary design, were built with an eye toward attracting a slightly younger traveler. Regardless of age, passengers tend to be well-traveled (though many are visiting Europe for the first time).

Viking Bragi Dress Code

Casual, comfortable attire is encouraged for both ship and shore on Viking Longships. The must-pack item is, without question, a comfortable pair of walking shoes for shore tours. As the ship sails in Europe, with its lovely and historic landscapes, tours frequently involve cobblestones and other uneven surfaces. Both the staff and the daily program provide ample notice when this is the case.

Generally, passengers "dress up" to varying degrees in the evenings, but never to the level of a big-ship formal night. Most don the kind of attire worn at a country club dinner, but others don't bother to change from their sensible shore excursion gear. Save your best outfits (maybe casual dresses for women and collared shirts and blazers for men) for events like the Captain's Welcome and Farewell Dinners.

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More about Viking Bragi

Where does Viking Bragi sail from?

Viking Bragi departs from Budapest, Basel, and Amsterdam

How much does it cost to go on Viking Bragi?

Cruises on Viking Bragi start from $1,999 per person.
Viking Bragi Cruiser Reviews

Prague, a must see destination!

We look forward to our next Viking cruise!Read More
Aurora1987

couple2-5 Cruises

Age 60s

Race rising water

Luggage Took over 48 hours to finally arrive, morning before we were to transfer from corinthia Budapest hotel to Bragi ship. Also many guests caught colds.Read More
Emmanuel1954

oneFirst Time Cruiser

Age 70s

Our very first cruise!! Truly a “Waymaker” for many more to come. Everything was fabulous.

Viking is so much more than the advertisements talk about. It will definitely be a thrill to travel with Viking again in the near future. Viking definitely gets our vote.Read More
Atoal2023.

oneFirst Time Cruiser

Age 64s

25th Anniversary on the Grand European cruise

Viking planned for everything and we could not have been more THANKFUL!Read More
Lucky Texan

oneFirst Time Cruiser

Age 62s

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